The human body: A carefully protected fortress

We can compare the human body to a fortress under attack. Just as the
defense of a fortress besieged by enemies is very well planned, so the
human body hasa perfect defense system.
No matter how clean ourenvironment may be, weshare our living space
with many microorganisms. If you could examine with a microscope the
room you are now sitting in, you would clearly see the millions of
creatures you are living with.
So, in this sense, a human being is a besieged fortress. It
goeswithout saying that to protect this fortress under assault a
failsafe plan is necessary. Humanbeings were created with the perfect
protection that they need; they are not defenseless against these
enemies. God Almighty has created micro defense systems inthe human
body, protecting it from all sorts of dangerous organisms and fighting
to defend it on multiple fronts.
Invasion forces have to cross the first lines of defense. Even thought
the first line of defense may suffer setbacks, it will give the enemy
a hard time and reduce its invasion ability.
Deterrents Waiting for Micro-enemies
The first front that the enemy must pass in the human body is our
skin. The skin covers the whole body like a sheathand has many special
features. One of the vital features of this miraculous packaging is
its ability to protect the body from the micro-enemies that make the
body sick. If we accept that the body is like a besieged fortress, we
can say that the skin, with its outer layers of dead cells and the
creatures that live on it, is the strong ramparts ofthis fortress.
One of the ways in which microorganisms reach us is through our
breathing. Every moment there are hundreds of different kinds of germs
in the air we breathe waiting to enter our bodies. But they are
unaware of the nasal guards to repel them. A special secretionin the
mucosa of the nose traps and expels between 80% and 90% of the
microorganisms that that enter the respiratory system eitherdirectly
or through dust, vapor or other carriers.
Germs can also enter the body through the food we eat. But our body's defense
system is aware of this route and waits for the intruders in the
stomach where the food goes. Stomach acid destroys most if not all of
the germs that manage to overcome all the other obstacles and reach
the stomach. The germs that make it through the stomach are destroyed
by digestive enzymes produced in the small intestine.
The Truth Revealed by our Defense System
There are some important questions thathave to be asked in the light
of all these facts.
Who drives these external microbes to entering our bodies through our
food? Who decides the route the food follows, what kind of a system
must destroy the microbes, what will the microbes' next target if they
escape thisdeterrent, and what alternatives they take if they
encounter a more powerful substance? Body cells have never been
outside the body and so have not had the opportunity to examine the
chemical structure ofthese external microbes, nor have they ever
studied chemistry. So how do they know whatsubstances will kill the
microbes?
Indeed, Allah, the Lord ofthe heavens and Earth, created such a
non-sleeping defense system protecting the human body surroundedby
microbes like a besieged castle. In a verse, Allah describes His
wisdom of perfect creation as follows:
He is Allah – the Creator, the Maker, the Giver of Form. To Him belong
the Most Beautiful Names. Everything in the heavens and Earth
glorifies Him. He is the Almighty, the All-Wise. (Qur'an, 59:24)
We must remember that the human body is helplessly exposed to microbes
24 hours a day.The fact that you are able at this moment to read this
text without being adversely affectedby the microbes around you, is
due to the operation of the defensesystem inside your body inspired by
our AlmightyLord. It must also be remembered that Allah has specially
created germs and viruses to remind us of our helplessness against
these minute structures entering a human body and making it sick and
even cause its death.

Islam is not the sourceof terrorism, but its solution

Introduction
During the last two decades in particular, the concept of "Islamic
terror" has been often discussed. In the wake ofthe September 11
terrorist attacks on targets in New York and Washington which caused
the death of tens of thousands of innocentcivilians, this concept has
once again returned to the top of the international agenda.
As Muslims, we completely condemn these attacks and offer our
condolences to the American people.
In this article, we will explain that Islam is by no means the source
of this violence and that violence has no place in Islam.
We strongly condemn the cruel terrorist acts which targeted the
innocent people of the United States.
One point that should bestressed at the outset is that the identities
of the perpetrators of the acts of terrorism which targeted the United
States are not yet determined. There is a chance that these horrible
attackers are linked to quite different centres. It may well be a
communist organization harboring rage and hatred against American
values, a fascist organization opposing federal administration or a
secret faction in another state. Even though the hijackers have Muslim
identities, the questions regarding by whom and for what purposes
these people were used will probably remain to be a mystery.
The fact remains however, that even if the terrorists have Muslim
identities, the terror they perpetrated cannot be labelled"Islamic
terror", just as itwould not be called"Jewish terror" if the
perpetrators were Jews or "Christian terror" if they were Christians.
That is because, as we will examine in the following pages, murdering
innocent people in the name of religion is unacceptable .We need to
keep in mind that, among those who were killed in Washington or New
York, there were people who loved Jesus (Christians), Prophet Moses
(Jews) and Muslims. According to Islam, murdering innocent people is a
great sin that, unless forgiven by God, brings torment in Hell.
Thus, a religious person who has fear of God can never commit such an act.
In fact, the aggressors can commit such violence only with the
intention of attacking religion itself. It may wellbe that they
carried out this violence to present religion as evil in the eyes of
people, to divorce people from religion and to generatehatred and
reaction against pious people. Consequently, every attack having
a"religious" facade on American citizens or other innocent people is
actually an attack made against religion.
All the three Theistic religions command love, mercy and peace.
Terror,on the other hand, is theopposite of religion; it is cruel,
merciless and it demands bloodshed andmisery. This being the case,
while looking for the perpetrators of a terrorist act, its origins
should be sought in disbelief rather than in religion. People with a
fascist, communist, racistor materialist outlook onlife should be
suspected as potential perpetrators. The name or the identity of the
triggerman is not important. If he can kill innocent people
withoutblinking an eye, whatever his label is, then he is a
disbeliever, not a believer. He is a murderer with no fear of God,
whose main ambition is to shed blood and to give harm.
For this reason, "Islamic terror" is quite a erroneous concept which
contradicts Islam'smessage. That is because, the religion of Islam can
by no means concur with terror. On the contrary, Muslims
areresponsible for preventing terrorist acts and bringing peace and
justice to the world.
The Values of the Qur'an demands Goodness, Justice and Peace
Terror, in its broadest sense, is violence committed against
non-military targets for political purposes. To put it in another way,
the targets of terror are entirely innocent civilians whose only crime
is, in the eyes of terrorists, to represent"the other".
This is an act bereft of any moral justification. This, as in the case
of murders committed by Hitler or Stalin, is a crimecommitted
against"mankind".
The Qur'an is a Book revealed to people as a guide to the true path
and in this Book, God commands man to adoptgood morals. This morality
is based upon concepts such as love, compassion, tolerance and mercy.
God calls all people to Islamic morals through which compassion,
mercy, peace and tolerance can be experienced all over the world:
You who believe! Enter absolutely into peace (Islam). Do not follow in
the footsteps of Satan. He is an outright enemy to you. (Surat
al-Baqara:208)
The values of the Qur'an hold a Muslim responsible for treating all
people, whether Muslim or non-Muslim, kindly and justly, protecting
the needy and the innocent and preventing the"dissemination of
mischief". Mischief comprises all forms of anarchy and terror that
remove security, comfortand peace. As God says in a verse, "God does
notlove mischief makers". (Surat al-Qasas: 77)
Murdering a person for no reason is one of the most obvious examples
of mischief. God repeats in the Qur'an a command He formerly revealed
to Jews in the Old Testament thus:
So We decreed for the tribe of Israel that if someone kills another
person - unless it is in retaliation for someone else or for causing
corruption in the earth - it is as if he had murdered all mankind. And
if anyone gives life to another person, it is as if he had given life
to all mankind. Our Messengers came to them with Clear Signs but even
after that manyof them committed outrages in the earth. (Surat
al-Ma'ida: 32)
As the verse suggests, a person who kills even a single man, " unless
it is in retaliation for someone else or for causing corruption in the
earth ", commits a crime as if he had murdered all mankind on earth.
This being the case, it is obvious what great sins are the murders,
massacres and, attacks, popularly known as"suicide attacks", committed
by terrorists are. God informs us how this cruel face of terrorism
will be punished in the hereafter in the following verse:
There are only grounds against those who wrong people and act
astyrants in the earth without any right to do so. Such people will
havea painful punishment. (Surat ash-Shura: 42)
All these reveal that organizing acts of terror against innocent
people is utterly against Islam and it is unlikely that any Muslim
could ever commit such crime. On the contrary, Muslims areresponsible
for stopping these people, removing"mischief on earth" and bringing
peace and security to all people all over the world. Being a Muslim
cannot be reconciled with terror. Just the contrary, it is thesolution
and prevention of terror.
This being the case, howdid the popular term"Islamic terror" emerge?
What has been examined so far reveals that it is not possible to talk
about an "Islamic" terror. Indeed, a closer look at the
characteristics of the perpetrators explicitly reveals that this
terror is not a religious but a social phenomenon.
Crusaders: Barbarians Who Trampled Their Own Religion
A helmet used by the Crusaders.
The true message of a religion or another system of belief can be at
times exposed to distortion by its pseudo-adherents. The Crusaders,
who constitute a dark episode of Christian history, set a good example
of this.
Crusaders were European Christians whoundertook the expeditions at the
end of the 11 th century to recover the Holy Land (the area around
Palestine) from the Muslims. They set out with a so-called
religiousgoal, yet they laid waste each acre of land they entered with
fear and violence. They subjected civilians to mass executions and
plundered many villages and towns.
Their conquest of Jerusalem, where Muslims, Jews and Christians lived
under Islamic rule in peace, became the scene of immense bloodshed.
They violently killed all Muslims and Jews. The Crusaders' barbarism
was so excessive that, during the Fourth Crusade, they plundered
Istanbul, also a Christian city, and stole the golden objects from the
churches.
Despite the fact that Christianity is a religion of love and
pacifism,the Crusaders slaughtered innocent people in the name of
Christ. They misunderstood theirreligion.
No doubt, all this barbarism was utterly against Christian political
doctrine. That isbecause, Christianity, in the words of the Bible, isa
"gospel of love". In theGospel according to Matthew, it is said that
Jesus said " Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you "
to his followers (Matthew, 5/44) In the Gospel according to Luke, it
is said that Jesus said " If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to
him the other also ." (Luke, 6/29) No doubt, inno part of the New
Testament, is there reference to the legitimacy of violence; murdering
innocent people, on the other hand, is unimaginable. You can find the
conceptof "massacre of the innocents" in the Bible; yet, only in the
cruel Jewish King Herod's attempt to kill Jesus while he was a baby.
While Christianity is a religion based on love that accommodates no
violence, how did Christian Crusaders carry out the most violent acts
of history? The major reason for this is that, Crusaders were mainly
made up of ignorant people who could betterbe defined as "rabble".
These masses, who knewalmost nothing about their religion, who had
never read or even seen the Bible once in their lifetime, and who were
therefore completely unaware of the moral values of the Bible, wereled
into barbarism underthe conditioning of Crusaders' slogans as"God
wills it".
It is worth mentioning that in that period, Eastern Christians - the
people of Byzantium, forinstance - who were culturally far ahead of
Western Christians, espoused more humane values. Both before and after
the Crusaders' conquests, Orthodox Christians managed to live together
with Muslims. According to Terry Johns, the BBC commentator, with the
withdrawal of the Crusaders from Middle East, "civilized life started
again and members of the three monotheistic faith returned to peaceful
coexistence." [ 1 ] The example of the Crusadersis indicative of a
generalphenomenon: The more the adherents of an ideology are
uncivilized, intellectually underdeveloped and"ignorant", the more
likely they are to resort to violence. This also holds true for
ideologiesthat have nothing to do with religion. All communist
movements around the world are prone to violence. Yet the most savage
and blood-thirsty of them was the Khmer Rouge of Cambodia. That is
because they were the most ignorant.
Just as ignorant people may take a violence-ridden opinion to the
point of insanity, so theymay confuse violence with an opinion against
violence (or to religion). The Islamic world also experienced such
cases.
The Bedouin Character in the Qur'an
In the period of our Prophet, there existed two basic social
structures in Arabia. City-dwellers and Bedouins (Desert Arabs). A
sophisticated culture prevailed in Arab towns. Commercial relations
linked the towns to the outer world, which contributed to the
formation of "civilized life" among Arabs dwelling in cities. They had
refined aesthetic values, enjoyed literature and, especiallypoetry.
Desert Arabs, on the other hand, were the nomad tribes living in the
desert who had a very crude culture. Utterly unaware of arts and
literature, they developed an unrefined,harsh character.
Islam was born and developed among the inhabitants of Mecca, themost
important city of the peninsula. However, as Islam spread to the
peninsula, all tribes in Arabia embraced it. Among these tribes
werealso Desert Arabs, who were somehow problematic: their poor
intellectual and cultural background prevented them from grasping the
profundity and noble spirit of Islam. Of this God states the following
in a verse:
The Desert Arabs are more obdurate in disbelief and hypocrisy and more
likely not to know the limits which God has sent down to HisMessenger.
God is All-Knowing, All-Wise. (Surat at-Tawba: 97)
The Desert Arabs, that is, social groups who were" obdurate in
disbelief and hypocrisy " and prone to disobey God's commands, became
a part of the Islamic world in the Prophet's lifetime.In latter
periods, they became a source of trouble for the Islamic world. The
sect called"Kharijis" that emerged among Bedouins was an example. The
most distinctive trait of this perverse sect (which wascalled
"Kharijis" the rebels because they greatly deviated from Sunni
practises), was their extremely vulgar, wild and fanatical nature. The
"Kharijis", who had no comprehension whatsoever of the essence of
Islam or of the virtues and the values of the Qur'an, waged war
against all other Muslims and basedthis war on a few Qur'anic verses
about which they made distorted interpretations. Furthermore, they
carried out "acts of terrorism". Caliph Ali, who was one of the
closest companions of the Prophet and was described by him as the"gate
of the city of knowledge", was assassinated by a Kharijite.
In latter periods,"Hashashis" (Assassins), another brutal
organization, emerged; this was a "terrorist organization" made up of
ignorant and fanaticalmilitants bereft of a profound understandingof
the essence of Islam and thus who could be readily influenced by
simple slogans and promises.
In other words, just as the Crusaders distorted and misinterpreted
Christianity as a teachingof brutality, some perverted groups emerging
in the Islamic world misinterpreted Islam and resorted to brutality .
What is common to these sects and the Crusaders was their "Bedouin"
nature. That is, they were ignorant, unrefined, uncultivated, vulgar,
andisolated people. The violence they resorted resulted from this
social structure, rather than the religion to which they claimed to
adhere.
The Actual Source of Terrorism: The Third World Fanaticism
These examples from history are enlightening for a better
understanding of the phenomenon, the so-called "Islamic terror", which
is nowadays on the top of the international agenda. That is because
those who emerge and carry out acts of terrorism in the name of Islam
or those who back such acts -these people, no doubt, represent a
minority in the world of Islam- stem from this"Bedouin character",
notfrom Islam. Failing to understand the essence of Islam, they try to
make Islam, essentially a religion of peace and justice, a tool of
barbarism, which is simply an outcome of their social and cultural
structure. The origin of this barbarism, which may well be called
the"Third World Fanaticism", is the benighted initiatives of people
who are devoid of love for humans.
It is a fact that, for the last few centuries, Muslims in all corners
of the Islamic world, are being subjected to violence by Western
forces and their affiliates. The colonialist European states, local
oppressive regimes or colonialists backed by the West (Israel, for
instance) caused great suffering for Muslims at large. However, for
Muslims, this is a situation that has to be approached and responded
to from a purely Qur'anic stance.
In no part of the Qur'an does God command believers to "respond to
violence with violence". On the contrary, God commands Muslims
to"respond to evil with goodness":
A good action and a bad action are not the same. Repel the bad with
something better and, if there is enmity between you and someone else,
he will be like a bosom friend. (Surat al-Fussilat: 34)
It is no doubt a legitimate right of Muslims to react against cruelty.
However, these reactions should never turn into a blind hatred, an
unjust enmity. God warns about this in the following verse: "... Do
not let hatred for a people who debar you from the Masjid al-Haram
incite you into going beyond the limits. Help each other to goodness
and heedfulness. Do not helpeach other to wrongdoing and enmity.Heed
God Allah (alone)..." (Surat al-Ma'ida: 2)
Consequently, carrying out terrorist acts under the pretence
of"representing the oppressed nations of theworld", against the
innocent people of othernations is by no means compatible with Islam.
Another point that deserves a special mention here is that all the
Western world cannot be held responsible for the aforementioned
colonialist (or "neo-colonialist) violence and oppression against
Muslims. Actually, the materialist, irreligious philosophies and
ideologies that prevailedin the 19 th century are responsible for
these dismal acts. European colonialism did not originate from
Christianity. On the contrary, anti-religious movements opposing the
values of Christianity led the way to colonialism. At the roots of the
greatest brutalities of the 19 th century lies the Social Darwinist
ideology.
In the Western world today, there are still cruel, mischievous and
opposing elements as well as a culture dominated by peaceful and just
elements that have its roots in Judeo-Christian faith. As a matter of
fact, the main disagreement is not between the West and Islam.
Contrary to the general opinion, it is between the religious people of
the West and of the Muslim world on the one hand, and the people
opposing religion (like materialistsand atheists.) on the other.
Another indication that Third World Fanaticism has nothing to do with
Islam is that, until recently, this fanaticism has been identified
withcommunist ideology. As is known, similar anti-Western acts of
terror were carried out in 1960s and 70s by Soviet-backed communist
organizations. As the impact of the communistideology faded, some of
the social structures which gave birth to communist organizations have
turned their attention toIslam. This "brutality presented under the
guise of religion", whichis formulated by the incorporation of some
Islamic concepts and symbols into the former communist rhetoric are
entirely against the moral values constituting the essence of Islam.
Anti-Western radicalism once used the communist ideology to support
its violence. Now it is trying to use religious concepts.
A last remark about this issue is that Islam is not peculiar to a
particular nation or geography. Contrary to the dominant Western
perception, Islam is not an "Eastern culture" . Islam is the last
religion revealed to mankind as a guide to the true path that
recommends itself to all humanity. Muslims are responsible for
communicating the true religion they believe in to all people of all
nations and cultures andmaking them feel closer to Islam.
Consequently, there is a unique solution for people and groups who, in
the name of Islam, resort to terror or establish oppressive regimes
and turn this world into a dreadful place instead of beautifying it:
revealing the true Islam and communicating it so thatthe masses can
understand and live by it.
Conclusion: Recommendations to theWestern World
Today, the Western world is concerned about the organizations that use
terror under theguise of Islam and this concern is not misplaced. It
is obvious that those carrying out terror and their supporters should
be punished according to international judicial criteria. However, a
more important point to consider is the long-termstrategies that have
to be pursued for viable solutions to these problems.
The assessments above reveal that terror has no place in Islam. They
further show the inherently contradictory nature of the concept
of"Islamic terror". This provides us with an important vantage point:
1) The Western world, especially the United States, will surely take
the most dissuasive measures to cope with terror and it has the right
to do that. However, it has to state explicitly that this is not a war
waged against Islam and Muslims but, on the contrary, a measure
serving the bestinterests of Islam. The "Clash of civilizations", the
dangerous scenario envisioned in the 90's should be at all costs
prevented.
2) Support should be provided for the spread of "True Islam", which is
a religion of love, friendship, peace and brotherhood, and for its
true understanding by Islamic societies. The solution for radical
factions in Islamic countries should not be"forced secularization". On
the contrary, such a policy will incite more reaction from the
massesand feed radicalism. The solution is the dissemination of true
Islam and the appearance of a Muslim role-model who embraces Qur'anic
values such as human rights, democracy, freedom, good morals, science
and aesthetics, and who offers happiness and bliss to humanity.
3) The source of terrorism is ignorance and bigotry and the solution
is education. To the circles who feel sympathy with terror, it should
be said that terror is utterly against Islam, that terror only does
harm to Islam, Muslims and to humanityat large. Besides, these people
have to be provided with educationin order to be purified of this
barbarism. The United States' support tosuch an education policywill
yield very positive results.
Our hope is that these measures will help to theworld get rid of
terrorism and all other bigoted, brutal, barbarous structures. With
its Christian-dominated culture and population, the United States,
which defines itself as "a nation under God", is in fact a real friend
of the Muslims. In the Qur'an, God draws attention to this fact
andinforms us that Christians are those who are " most affectionate to
those who believe " . (Surat al-Ma'ida: 82)
In history, some ignorant people (for instance, Crusaders) failed to
understand thisfact and caused conflicts between these two great
religions. To prevent the repetition ofthis scenario, true Christians
and Muslims need to come together and co-operate.

Ashab al-Suffa who spent their wealth andthemselves in the wayof Allah are exemplaryfor all Muslims

All the companions of our Prophet (saas) are examplary in their
superior morality and self-sacrifice. However especially those who
were called Ashab al-Suffa devoted 24 hours of their lives to Allah,
never got married,never pursued passions like family, children,
possessions or position; remained within the company of our Prophet
(saas) all the time and were educated by our Prophet (saas)
personally.
The companions of our Prophet (saas) who stayed in the antechamber
later annexed to the north part of Masjid al-Nabawi (the Mosque of our
Prophet (saas)) were referred as Ashab al-Suffa. They were those
blessed people who never married, had no relatives or attachment to a
tribe. They were not involved in trade and devoted all their time to
earn Allah's good pleasure and learn knowledge from our Prophet
(saas). Away from their families, they paid no attention to the
worldly deeds and continuously learned theQur'an and listened to our
Prophet's (saas) lectures and were sent to Muslim tribes to teach them
the Qur'an and the Sunnah. They were around 400-500 people and were
also known as the army of Wisdom.
Our Prophet (saas) was closely interested in their education.
These distinguished people who devoted themselves to Allah's way in
the true sense of the word, never missed the teachings of our Prophet
(saas). They were always ready there, memorized the teachings and
narrated them to other companions. It is told that the following verse
was revealed about Ashab al-Suffa (M.Hamdi Yazir, Hak Dini Kur'an
Dili, The Language of theQur'an, the Righteous Religion , 2/940)
It is for the poor who are held back in the Wayof Allah, unable to
travel in the land. The ignorantconsider them rich because of their
reticence. You will know them by their mark. Theydo not ask from
people insistently. Whatever good you give away, Allah knows it.
(Surat al-Baqara, 273)
The followers of Hazrat Mahdi (as) will, Insha'Allah, also spend
every moment of their lives in the way of Allah, they will never leave
Hazrat Mahdi (as ) and never dread from oppression and hardship.
Indeed, Insha'Allah together with Hazrat Mahdi (as), they will work
very hard to cause the morality of the Qur'an dominate the world.

Does the hadeeth “I am not afraid that you will worship others along with Allah after my death” mean that shirk will never occur among this ummah?.

Narrated 'Uqba bin 'Amir:
Bukhari - Volume 2, book 23, number 428: Narrated 'Uqba bin 'Amir: One
day the Prophet went out and offered the funeral prayers of the
martyrs ofUhud and then went up the pulpit and said, "I will pave the
way for you as your predecessor and will be a witness on you. By
Allah! I see my Fount (Kauthar) just nowand I have been given the keys
of all the treasures of the earth (or the keys of the earth). By
Allah! I am not afraid that you will worship others along with Allah
after my death, but I am afraid that you will fight with one another
for the worldly things." This hadeeth is often used bythose comitting
bidah asjustification for some of the acts which can be labeled as
"shirk" (such as calling out on others besides Allah, grave
worshipping, etc.). The claim is that the Ummah of the Prophet (SAW)
arenot at risk of comitting shirk. What is the correctinterpretation
of this hadeeth.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
The hadeeth was narrated by al-Bukhaari (1344) and Muslim (2296) from
'Uqbah ibn 'Aamir, and says that the Prophet (blessings and peace of
Allah be upon him) came out one day and prayed for the people of Uhud
as he used to pray for the dead. Then he went to the minbar and said:
"I will be there ahead of you, and I will be your witness. By Allaah,
I can see my Cistern now. I am given the keys to the treasures of the
earth, orthe keys to the earth. By Allaah, I do not fear that you will
associate others with Allaah after I am gone, but I fear that you will
compete with one another for them (the treasures of the earth)."
What is meant by his praying for them (the people of Uhud) as he used
to pray for the dead is his offering supplication for them with the
du'aa' that is recited in the funeral prayer. This was seven years
after they were martyred (may Allah be pleased with them).
There is nothing in the hadeeth to say that shirk(association of
others with Allah) will not happen in this ummah; rather it may be
understood that he did not fear it for the entire ummah, based on the
fact that it has occurred among some of them, as is indicated in other
texts in which he (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) stated
that some of his ummah would fall into shirk.
An-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said in his commentary on
Muslim (Sharh Muslim): In this hadeeth we see the miracles of the
Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), because
what it means isa foretelling that his ummah would be given the
treasures of the earth, which did indeed come to pass; and that they
would not all apostatise because Allah,may He be exalted, protected
them from that; and that they would compete with one another for
worldly gain. And all of that came to pass. End quote.
Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar al-'Asqallaani (may Allah have mercy on him)
said:The words "I do not fear that you will associate others with
Allah" mean:(I do not fear that you will do that) en masse, because
that happened with some of them – may Allah protect us. This hadeeth
is one of the miracles of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be
upon him), hence the author narrated it under the heading of the signs
of Prophethood.
End quote from Fath al-Baari, 3/211
Secondly:
The saheeh Sunnah indicates that among this ummah will be somewho
associate others with Allah, may He be exalted.
1.
al-Bukhaari (7116) and Muslim (2906) narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may
Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and
peace of Allah be upon him) said: "The Hour will not begin until the
backsides of the women of Daws wobble (as they go) around
Dhu'l-Khalasah."
Dhu'l-Khalasah was a false god of Daws that they used to worship
during the Jaahiliyyah.
2.
Muslim (2907) narrated that 'Aa'ishah said: I heard the Messenger of
Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) say: "Night and day
will not cease until al-Laat and al-'Uzza are worshipped." I said: O
Messenger of Allaah, when Allaah revealed the words "He it is Who has
sent His Messenger (Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) with guidance and the
religion of truth (Islamic Monotheism) to make it victorious over all
(other) religions even though the Mushrikoon (polytheists, pagans,
idolaters, and disbelievers in the Oneness of Allaah and in His
Messenger Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) hate (it)" [al-Saff 61:33], I
thought that that had been fulfilled and would never be undone. He
said: "As much of that as Allaah wills will happen, then Allaah will
send a pleasant wind which willcause everyone in whose heart is faith
the size of a grain of mustard seed to die, then there will be left
those in whom there is no good, and they will revert to the religion
of their forefathers."
Thus it becomes clear that some of the Muslimswill fall into shirk and
apostasy, without that affecting the entire ummah, for it is protected
against uniting in misguidance.
How can the Muslim doubt that calling upon the dead, beseeching them
at times of calamity and asking them to relieve distress are acts of
shirk? In fact this is the essence of what the earlier mushrikeen used
to do, seeking to draw close to Allah or seeking intercession with
Him, asAllah says (interpretationof the meaning):
"And those who take Auliya (protectors and helpers) besides Him (say):
"We worship them only that they may bringus near to Allah." Verily,
Allah will judge betweenthem concerning that wherein they differ.
Truly, Allah guides not him who is a liar, and a disbeliever."
[az-Zumar 39:3]
"And they worship besides Allah things that hurt them not, nor
profitthem, and they say: 'These are our intercessors with Allah.'
Say: 'Do you inform Allahof that which He knows not in the heavens and
on the earth?' Glorified and Exalted be He above all that which they
associate as partners with Him!
Mankind were but one community (i.e. on one religion - Islamic
Monotheism), then they differed (later), and had not it been for a
Word that went forth before from your Lord, it would have been settled
between them regarding what they differed"
[Yoonus 10:18, 19]
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said:The
one who makes the angels and Prophets mediators on whom he calls and
in whom he puts his trust, and asks them to bring benefits and ward
off harm, such as asking them for forgiveness of sins, guidance of
hearts, relief of distress and meeting his needs, is a kaafir
according to the consensus of the Muslims.
End quote from Majmoo'al-Fataawa, 1/124
This consensus was narrated by more than one of the scholars who
affirmed it, see: al-Furoo'by Ibn Muflih, 6/165; al-Insaaf, 10/327;
Kashshaaf al-Qinaa', 6/169; Mataalib Ooli'n-Nuha, 6/279. These are the
essential reference books of Hanbali fiqh.
In Kashshaaf al-Qinaa' it says, after mentioning this consensus under
theheading of the ruling onthe apostate: Because this is like the
action of the idol worshippers who say, 'We only worship them so that
they might bring us closer to Allah.'
End quote.
More than one of the scholars has clearly stated that what some ofthe
ignorant Muslims do of focusing their devotion on graves is the
essence of what the earlier mushrikeen used to do.
Ar-Raazi (may Allah have mercy on him) said in hiscommentary on the
verse from Soorat Yoonus quoted above, explaining the explanations
that the mushrikeen gave for their worship of idols:
Fourthly: they made these idols and statues in the image of their
Prophets and great men,and claimed that if they devoted themselves to
worshipping these statues, those great men would be intercessors for
them with Allah, may He be exalted. The equivalent to that in our own
times is the devotion of many people to venerating thegraves of great
men, in the belief that if they venerate their graves, they will
intercede for them with Allah.
End quote from Mafaateeh al-Ghayb, 17/49